1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to radio frequency interactive systems, to electromagnetic antenna systems, to methods of making antennas or other radio frequency interactive systems, and, more particularly, to a transfer of the concept of synapsis to antenna or other radio frequency interactive systems and to the resulting synaptic antennas or other radio frequency interactive systems.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following disclosure statement is made pursuant to the duty of disclosure imposed by law and formulated in 37 CFR 1.56(a). No representation is hereby made that information thus disclosed in fact constitutes prior art, inasmuch as 37 CFR 1.56(a) relies on a materiality concept which depends on uncertain and inevitably subjective elements of substantial likelihood and reasonableness and inasmuch as a growing attitude appears to require citation of material which might lead to a discovery of pertinent material though not necessarily being of itself pertinent. Also, the following comments contain conclusions and observations which have only been drawn or become apparent after conception of the subject invention or which contrast the subject invention or its merits against the background of developments which may be subsequent in time or priority.
Also, no preamble of any statement of invention or claim hereof is intended to represent that the content of that preamble is prior art, particularly where one or more recitations in a preamble serve the purpose or providing antecedents for the remainder of a statement of invention or claim.
The synaptic action of peripheral nervous systems is well known in anatomy. Briefly, in a synaptic nervous system, functional contacts is through synapses, as distinguished from nerve net. A synapse is defined as the locus at which the nervous impulse passes from the axon of one neuron to the dendrites of another having the form of an actual boundary between the two nerve fibers and providing a selective element.
Yet, despite such physical example of long standing, man has continued to make antenna systems in the conventional manner. This has in effect impeded antenna development, since a flexibility for rapidly changing antenna configurations, either for research, development and testing, or for operation in the field or elsewhere, was lacking.
Accordingly, man's development of antenna systems resembled more that of a nerve net as found in various lower invertebrates in the form of primitive nerve cells each of which appears continuous with adjacent cells without intervening synapses, with the resulting network conducting stimulation in all directions with a decrement.
An article by J. R. Forrest and A. A. Salles, entitled "Optics Control Microwaves," (MSN, June 1961) mentions direct control of microwave signals by optoelectronic effects.
Passive radio frequency modifiers have been provided by coating a surface with cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide and by making use of photoconductive effects when light impinged upon such coating.
For information on photoconductive cells reference may, for instance, be had to the Photoconductive Cell Application Design Handbook, of Clairex Electronics, published 1978 by Clairex Corporation. For information on photodiodes, reference may, for instance, be had to the data sheet published November, 1981 by RCA for its Solid State Detectors C30971E and C30971EL.